Stephanie Weaver

Customers have launched a petition to try and save their town’s Barclays bank after it was announced that the branch will be closing later this year.

The bank told the Northants Telegraph earlier this month that the branch in Station Road, Desborough, will close on October 30.

We are all up in arms about it

Pat Blissett

One of the reasons given was that the number of people using the branch has fallen by nearly half since 2008.

However, people who bank there are calling on Barclays bosses to re-think the decision and have launched a petition to show the support for keeping it open.

Pat Blissett has started the petition with Celia Coe and they said they have collected several hundred names already.

Mrs Blissett said: “We are all up in arms about it because we don’t think anywhere should be left without a bank in the town.

“We think it’s awful.”

She added that there is a ‘tremendous lot of people’ who don’t go online for their banking and that with more houses being built in Desborough, the town needs the bank to stay open.

Mrs Blisset said they have got petitions in nine different places in the town and they are hoping to collect as many names as possible before asking a representative from Barclays to meet with them so they can present the petitions and discuss the closure.

She added: “We have got to try.”

When the closure was first announced, a statement from Barclays said: “We hope that the availability of nearby branches, access to services at the local Post Office and our range of digital channels will help to ease the transition for our customers.”

“We do not take the decision to close any branch lightly and we are committed to adhering to the new UK Government protocol on branch closures.

“All of our customers will receive a letter, posters will be displayed in branch and colleagues will be on hand to assist customers with any concerns they may have.

“We will be proactively engaging with local businesses and the wider community to discuss the alternative ways customers will be able to undertake their banking locally, before the branch closes on October 30 2015.”

Anyone who wants to sign the petition can go to any of the following locations: Desborough Heritage Centre, Revive coffee shop, the dentists, Marlow House, DCDT shop, The Works club, Conservative Club, Services Club and Costcutter in Broadlands.